


Tales and Tallows

by Thanatopsiturvy



Series: A Dunmer's Guide to Dealing with Bards [4]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Established Relationship, Gen, Gimme All The Horses, Halloween fun, Horses, I Love Writing About Horses, M/M, Tales and Tallows (Elder Scrolls), disaster family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thanatopsiturvy/pseuds/Thanatopsiturvy
Summary: Teldryn learns about a new holiday: Tales and Tallows - a night during which the dead supposedly roam the land.A nice dinner and a quiet night in are out of the question, apparently...





	Tales and Tallows

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like writing a little Halloween-themed one-shot! It's just a fun story that has a bit of a pagan twist to it. As always, I'll look for any excuse to write the boys and their horses. 
> 
> (Aerik and Nilandur are from my stories _The Shadow Over Solstheim_ and _Invictus_, respectively - Aerik is half-Nord, and Nilandur is his Altmer father).

The sunlight was rapidly fading as Teldryn stepped back out through the doors of Jorrvaskr. Hearthfire had set in quickly this year, punctuated by the smell of chimney smoke and fallen leaves--shorter days and longer nights. The Gildergreen’s vibrant pink leaves had faded to a deep russet, carpeting the stone pathways of the Winds District. Teldryn stopped momentarily to pick a few of the last lavender buds from the base of its trunk before trotting lightly down the steps that led to the Plains District. The market was quieter than most evenings, many of the stalls already closed down. The wolf pelts he and Aerik had acquired from an impromptu hunting misadventure had fetched a reasonable sum from the Companions and Teldryn was eager to purchase some game for dinner. He twirled the lavender stems between his fingers, already planning his recipe, as he approached Anoriath with a close-lipped smile. 

“What’s your finest cut of the evening, ser?” he asked, leaning against the stall’s counter. 

Anoriath returned the smile, somewhat nervously. “Looking to do a bit of holiday cooking?” 

“Holiday?”

“Well, yes. It’s Tales and Tallows eve… I’m surprised you’re still out and about. I was about to pack up myself. Can’t be too careful when the dead begin to roam.” 

Teldryn gave him a quizzical look, before pointing at one of the cuts. “I’ll take that one, then. Can’t have the dead snatching up all your game now, can we?” 

With a thick cut of venison wrapped and tied beneath his arm, Teldryn set off for his house. The local Whiterun children were still darting through the streets even as twilight began to settle, screeching and laughing as they chased each other wearing grotesque, brightly-colored masks. 

“Hide your face, elf!” one shouted as he ran past. “The spirits will slip right in through your mouth!” 

Teldryn grimaced, stepping out of the way as another girl darted past making frightening growling sounds like a small, feral animal.

“Charming,” he muttered to himself, stepping up to Breezehome and pushing inside. “My love?” 

“Yeah?” Aerik’s muffled reply came from upstairs followed by hasty footsteps. His husband came bounding down the stairs with a grin, hopping around the hearthfire to plant an enthusiastic kiss on his lips. “Welcome back.”   
  


“I was gone for less than twenty minutes.” Teldryn laughed, leaning in for another kiss regardless. 

“It felt like an age,” Aerik lamented dramatically. “What’d you get?” 

“Venison. A nice thick cut.” He paused. “Did you possibly forget to tell me about some sort of holiday that’s happening today?” 

“Oh, Tales and Tallows?” Aerik responded immediately, taking the venison from Teldryn and walking towards the kitchen. “I didn’t forget, I just didn’t mention it. It’s mostly a kid’s holiday. Or for the overly superstitious.” He sat the cut down, beginning to unwrap the twine and butcher paper. “Oh  _ yes _ , this looks gorgeous. The Companions liked the pelts then?” 

“Indeed,” Teldryn responded distantly. “So what  _ is _ the holiday?” 

A soft knock at the door had Teldryn spinning on his heels. Aerik was already beginning to salt the meat.    
  


“Oh, I invited Nilandur over for dinner. Hope that isn’t a problem.” 

Teldryn huffed irritably, moving back towards the front of the house. “Of course it’s not a problem, but I would have at least purchased some fresh vegetables for him had I known.” He opened the door to Nilandur’s smiling face, a worn satchel and a book cradled in the old mer’s arms. 

“Teldryn! Lovely to see you.” He stepped through the door and set his things down before pulling Teldryn in for a gentle hug. Aerik walked over, laughing silently as Teldryn patted Nilandur stiffly on the back. He was still unaccustomed to the mer’s open displays of affection, struggling internally with how he could find something both incredibly endearing and entirely unwanted. 

“Hey dad,” Aerik greeted, opening his arms up for a firm hug that made Nilandur grunt from the effort. He pulled away, gesturing at the dropped satchel. “What’s in the bag?” 

“Oh!” Nilandur bent to pick up his items, clutching them to his chest once more. “Well, I went ahead and brought some extra ingredients to add to dinner. I didn’t want to impose…” 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Teldryn insisted. 

“But we’re glad you did!” Aerik finished, motioning Nilandur towards the kitchen. 

“I also brought a book with me. I borrowed it from Farengar.  _ Fool’s Ebony _ . Are you familiar?” 

“Nope!” Aerik responded cheerfully, taking the satchel and dumping the ingredients onto the counter unceremoniously. A leek, two potatoes, three tomatoes, and an onion rolled out, one tomato attempting to take a dive for the floor before Aerik caught it with cat-like reflexes, tossing it once in the air for added flourish. “What’s it about?”

“Well...” Nilandur sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, opening the book and licking a finger to turn to one of the middle pages. “It mentions the lovely holiday happening today that has the good people of Whiterun all spooked.”

Aerik quirked a brow. “Tales and Tallows?” 

“Yes! I assume you already know about it, though it’s more of a Breton holiday than a Nordic-” 

“Oh no, we celebrate it just the same here in Skyrim,” Aerik assured, beginning to cut the venison into chunks. Teldryn moved to stand beside him, grabbing a spare knife to start dicing the onion and leek. “Legend has it,” Aerik continued, “that the spirits of the dead roam the land after the sun goes down. To keep them from possessing your body, you either wear a mask or cover your mouth.” Aerik laughed quietly to himself. “I remember some of the older professors at the Bard’s college wouldn’t even  _ speak _ on Tales and Tallows eve. Just to be safe. But we’d always have a fantastic bonfire in the courtyard...” 

Dinner preparations continued while Nilandur read a bit of the book out loud. It was old, and written like a play. At first, Nilandur attempted to give the different characters unique voices, but quickly gave up after Aerik laughed a bit too unkindly at his efforts. Teldryn opened a bottle of Alto wine and they all moved to sit around the cooking pit, forgoing the book in favor of exchanging stories as the smells of roasting vegetables and seared meat filled their small home. Nilandur filled them in on the comings and goings of his daily life. He had moved into a small flat in the Winds District, aiding the priestesses at the temple of Kynareth in the mornings and assisting Farengar with court duties in the evenings. 

“He’s terribly lonely, I think,” Nilandur admitted, taking a measured sip of his wine. 

“Please don’t,” Aerik sighed loudly, sinking back into his chair. Teldryn just chuckled as he stirred the venison, bending to check on the vegetables that were spread out on a pan at the edge of the fire. 

“Don’t what?” Nilandur asked with a frown. 

“Don’t go all ‘bleeding heart’ for Farengar. He’s obnoxious.”   
  


“Have some compassion, Aerik.” Aerik’s response was to blow a raspberry and Teldryn shot him a stern look, which quickly devolved into an amused grin.

“You’re a child,” Teldryn laughed, prodding at the cooking meat. 

“Yeah? What does that make you?” 

Nilandur cleared his throat. “As I was saying, the newest research we’ve been conducting has been fascinating. It all started when we made a quick trip to the Ritual stone…” 

“Necromancy!?” Aerik sputtered, the fire choosing that moment to hiss and pop. “You’ve been studying Necromancy?” 

“Of course not!” Nilandur insisted, but one hand twisted nervously at the arm of his chair. “Well. Yes. We’ve been  _ studying _ Necromancy. Not performing it!” 

“What on Nirn caused you to delve into such a thing?” Teldryn couldn’t help but ask. He tapped the spoon on the side of the pot before moving back towards the kitchen to fetch their bowls.

“As I was saying,” Nilandur continued, ignoring their questions. “It started when we went to the Ritual stone. Farengar had a theory about…” He caught himself, clearing his throat again. “Well he had a theory he wanted to test. But when we got there, you wouldn’t believe it. What we saw… I’ve never encountered anything like it.” Aerik leaned in a little closer and Teldryn paused, in mid reach for the bowls. “It was a full apparition! Not just of a man, but his horse as well! We both immediately stopped what we were doing, standing as still as we could as he trotted by as if it were normal, or as if he didn’t realize he was no longer among the living. It was then that I noticed,” he paused dramatically,  _ “that he had no head.” _

“Oh, I’ve heard of that guy,” Aerik chuckled, leaning back in his seat. Nilandur visibly deflated, his disappointment palpable. Teldryn nudged Aerik in the back with an unsubtle cough as he walked back by. “But that’s really awesome, Nil!” Aerik added hastily. “Did you follow him?”

“Follow…?” Nilandur’s disappointment turned to shock. “Heavens, no! Why would I follow him?”   
  


“That’s what the legend says you should do! That if you catch him he’ll lead you straight to his treasure!” 

“Treasure?” 

“Well, I’m sure he’s having a grand old time tonight, then,” Teldryn laughed dryly, scooping some of the vegetables into their bowls, handing one to Nil before heaping venison into his and Aerik’s. “What with the dead roaming the land and what-have-you…”   
  


“Tel, you’re a genius!” Aerik declared, snapping his fingers. 

Teldryn groaned, closing his eyes with a deep breath. “Thank you, love, but you rarely follow up such a declaration with something I’d have actually suggested.” 

“We should find the headless horseman tonight!” 

A long pause followed Aerik’s suggestion, during which Nilandur gave Teldryn a nervous look and Teldryn rubbed at his temples. He shoved one of the bowls under Aerik’s nose as his husband grinned up at him, eyes large and imploring. 

“Eat your damn food.” 

“You know it would be fun.” 

“Oh yes, absolutely titillating. Galavanting across the plains in the dead of night in search of a  _ literal ghost _ .” Teldryn grunted as he sat cross-legged onto the floor, bowl resting in his lap. “Couldn’t imagine how I’d rather spend my evening.”

“It’s Tales and Tallows eve! If there’s a night he’s  _ sure _ to be running around, it’s tonight,” Aerik argued. “Plus, we can take the horses. If nothing else, it'll be a fun night ride.” 

“Aerik, my dear,” Nilandur began, laughing nervously. “You know we have differing ideas of what ‘fun’ entails.” 

“Come on, Nil! How long has it been since we’ve all gone on a ride together? Months?” Aerik shoveled a large bite of food into his mouth with his fingers. “It’ll be great!” 

“And what if we find the headless horsemen then, hmm?” Teldryn asked, immediately regretting it. Aerik swallowed his food and smiled, fierce and bright. 

It was going to be a long night.

\---

“Yes, I know old girl. It’s far too late to be saddling up.” Teldryn ran a soothing hand down Kahn’s broad neck. “Believe me, I’d rather be in a warm barn, too.” Aerik was already atop Skywise, the nervous gelding prancing sideways out of the stables with a series of loud snorts. Teldryn sighed, slipping Kahn’s bit between her teeth and checking her girth one last time before leading her out of the stall. He and Nilandur emerged around the same time, both of their horses lethargic, their tails swishing irritably.

“To the treasure!” Aerik declared, pointing at the sky. Teldryn sighed audibly, turning his face against Kahn’s neck to hide his smile before pulling his foot up into a stirrup and swinging into the saddle.

They started out at a brisk pace, Nilandur and Teldryn’s horses trailing a bit slower behind Aerik’s as they made their way towards the Western Watchtower. The night air was chilly and Teldryn pulled his scarf up around his face, the wind nipping at the tips of his ears. Even the nocturnal animals seemed to be making themselves scarce. The moons were in their darkest cycle, blanketing the plains of Whiterun Hold in a swath of shadow, the dips and crevices of the landscape receding into a yawning darkness. 

“Do you have a plan?” Teldryn called out to Aerik. “Or are we simply going to wander around until sunrise?” 

“Patience,  _ yi daelheg _ ,” Aerik taunted in Dunmeris. “The dead walk tonight. He’ll find us, I think.” 

“You think,” Teldryn scoffed, looking to Nilandur for support. The Altmer was too busy looking around to catch his gaze, one hand running nervously over the horn of his saddle. 

“Everything alright?” 

Nilandur jerked to look at him. “What? Oh, yes. Everything’s fine. It’s just…” He held his hand out to the side, palm down. “Do you feel that?” 

“Feel what?” Aerik asked over his shoulder, pulling on Skywise’s reins enough to slow him down to a mild trot. Teldryn held out his hand, taking a steadying breath and letting his awareness push beyond his body, only briefly. 

_ A rush of light and noise and sound, pulsing, screaming, clawing its way into his mind, expanding and contracting, bodies pressed tightly, writhing, trapped.  _

Teldryn sucked in a breath, his body jerking backwards as he retracted his magicka. Kahn sidestepped, tossing her head and letting out a long snort. 

“Teldryn! Are you alright?” Nilandur’s face was pale. 

“Tel?” Aerik pulled Skywise back even more, forcing the horse back to walk alongside Kahn. 

Teldryn wiped his brow on the back of his bracer. “Blasted… Tales and Tallows,” he grumbled. He took a steadying breath before looking at Nilandur. “What exactly were  _ you _ feeling?”

“Ah,” Nilandur looked around them again. “A bit of electricity.” He rubbed a hand across his forearm. “Gave me gooseflesh.” 

“Right,” Teldryn mumbled. “Gooseflesh.” 

“You think it maybe means the headless horseman is nearby?” Aerik asked excitedly, spurring Skywise into a trot again. 

“Quite possibly,” Nilandur offered half-heartedly, urging Mara up to speed as well. Teldryn watched them trot ahead for a moment, waiting for his heart rate to return to normal, before patting Kahn on the side of the neck and gently squeezing his heels into her sides. 

They eventually worked their way up to a gallop, tearing down the old cobbled road at breakneck speed. They passed an old fort, fires burning brightly from the sconces lining the outer wall. Teldryn heard the whistle of an arrow fly past and laughed openly, giving Kahn another encouraging kick and receiving a small buck in return. Aerik let out a joyous whoop in front of him, the night rushing past in a blur. Between the roar of the wind and the pounding, rhythmic beat of the horses’ hooves, Teldryn almost missed Aerik’s shout of surprise. 

“It’s him! There he goes!”

Off in the distance, across the plain, a blurry white shape was cantering along, its outline too faint for Teldryn to make out clearly. Without a second thought, Aerik veered Skywise off the road, heading straight for the figure. 

“Aerik!” Nilandur called out, jerking Mara’s reins to follow him, Teldryn in hot pursuit. As they approached, Teldryn found himself pleasantly surprised to see that they  _ had _ in fact found the headless horseman. The spectre seemed to take notice of them, or so Teldryn assumed, given the fact that he  _ had no head _ . The ghostly horse reared once, kicking its front legs and tossing its head in a fierce display, before bolting. Aerik let out a laugh followed by a Nordic battle cry, tearing after the figure. Mara and Kahn did their best to keep up, but Teldryn could feel Kahn’s sides beginning to heave from the effort of a sustained gallop. The chase didn’t last long, however. The horseman led them back onto the road, towards a small hollow in the mountainside, the crumbling arches of an old ruin lining the base of the hill. As soon as he passed through the gate, he spun his horse around to face them, the beast rearing one last time before horse and rider faded into nothingness. 

Aerik was the first to cross into the ruin, Skywise’s hooves digging into the soft ground as they came to a sliding halt. 

“Damn it!” Aerik shouted, turning Skywise in a circle, checking all around him. “Come back, you ghostly coward!” Teldryn and Nilandur trotted in a moment later, both horses breathing heavily. 

“Is this where the treasure is supposed to be?” Nilandur asked, stroking the side of Mara’s neck soothingly. 

“Oh,” Aerik said softly, standing up in his stirrups before swinging a leg around to dismount. “Yeah, maybe. I didn’t even think about that.” He laughed. “Too caught up in the chase.” Teldryn dismounted Kahn as well, taking in their surroundings. It was then that he heard the tell-tale creak of bones, of fleshless joints knocking together. 

“Aerik,” he warned, already summoning a bow. The flaming weapon manifested in his hand. Three skeletons began to clack their way towards them from the archways of the ruined tomb--to Teldryn’s confusion and horror, they seemed to be wearing the same grotesque masks he saw on the children in Whiterun. An arrow whizzed past Teldryn’s head and he immediately shot one of his own in retaliation. The flaming arrow lodged itself into the masks of one of the skeletons, setting its head on fire. This did little to slow it down, and it charged at Teldryn with its war axe raised. 

_ “FUS!” _ Aerik was grinning as if they weren’t in a fight.

The skeleton stumbled, giving Teldryn time to banish his bow, draw his sword, and cleave the monster in half. Another arrow whizzed by. 

“There are three more!” Nilandur called out, still atop a nervously prancing Mara, doing his best to keep the other two horses contained. Teldryn saw him cast something out of the corner of his eye, a flash of red, flecks of gold, icy blue, brilliant strands of magicka pulsing through the air. It had been a combination of spells, probably Courage and Armor spells. Teldryn felt a sudden surge of energy, a translucent blue aura encasing his body. 

“Thanks Nil!” Aerik called out, spinning his swords once before lunging for the closest skeleton. Teldryn ducked and rolled out of the way of another arrow before charging the skeleton that was firing them. It creaked and clacked, its colorful mask twisting and moving with the shadows. Its frail body scattered at the first swing of Teldryn’s sword, mask flying off and crumpling to dust before Teldryn could give it a second look. Skeletons never posed much of a threat. This fight would be over in no time. 

Suddenly, the ground began to shake beneath their feet.

“What in the blazes…?” Teldryn shifted his stance, eyes darting about. Against the hillside, the old ruins of the Nordic tomb were shifting, stone grinding against stone, revealing a yawning, cavernous opening. From the darkness leapt a single, ghostly white stag, prancing out into the center of the clearing. Teldryn held his breath, looking to Aerik for a moment before his eyes were drawn back to the spectre. It paused, raising its nose to the sky as if sniffing the air, tossing its head and pawing anxiously at the ground. A moment later, the headless horseman and his mount came leaping from the same opening. The stag startled, the muscles of its flank twitching and shimmering as it pushed off the ground and bolted from the ruins. 

“Let the hunt begin!” cried the horseman, his voice barely an echo off the stone of the mountainside. He dug his heels into the side of his horse and tore after the ghostly stag. 

In a moment of great fury and light, dozens upon dozens of spectral figures on horseback leapt up and out of the darkness of the ground. Aerik and Teldryn stumbled out of the way, reaching for their own startled horses, grabbing onto their reins. The cavalry of hunters rushed by in near silence, their horses’ hooves never quite touching the ground.

“It’s a wild hunt!” Aerik exclaimed, quickly fitting a foot in his stirrup and hoisting himself back atop Skywise. “Come on! Let’s join them!” 

“Are you mad!?” Teldryn barked. 

“A wild hunt?” Nilandur walked an agitated Mara over to them, eyeing the last of the ghostly horsemen as they left the small yard and rounded the hillside. 

“Yeah, and we’re gonna get left in the dust if we don’t get a move on!” Aerik gently tapped Skywise’s sides and the horse bolted with a snort. Teldryn sighed loudly, swinging back up into the saddle and giving Nilandur an apologetic look--one that he hoped said  _ I also just wanted to have a nice dinner-- _ before following. 

It only took them about ten minutes to catch up with the hunters, the only sound the beating of their own horses hooves against the cold earth. The planes were vast and deserted, illuminated faintly by the borealis above them. The bright figure of the stag stayed just ahead of them, bounding over any obstacle. Kahn shook her head and let out a strained nicker as they moved to the front of the cavalry and, to Teldryn’s surprise, Mara and Skywise answered with small whinnies of their own. Aerik laughed, ushering Skywise faster, and Teldryn loosened his grip on the reins, giving Kahn her head. Her ears flattened as she pushed herself harder, snorting in time to the drumming of her hooves, pulling up to run next to Skywise and eyeing him competitively. 

“I think she wants to race!” Aerik yelled over the rush of the wind. Teldryn just laughed. He looked behind them briefly to see Nilandur grinning wildly as Mara loped gracefully along, ears alert and forward. The headless horseman still galloped ahead of them, silently focused on the stag.

Time began to blur, Teldryn’s focus narrowing to the feel of Kahn beneath him, the tug of the reins against his palm, the blurring shapes of the countryside. Somehow, they’d circled around, heading back towards the Nordic ruin from which they’d come. It was then that Teldryn noticed the sky beginning to pinken--soft fingers of light creeping over the mountains to the east. They’d ridden all night.  _ Gods, he was going to be sore… _

“Look!” Aerik cried out. “He’s almost got him!” 

The horseman had procured a bow, nocking an arrow and training it on the stag. Just as the beast leapt into the clearing of the old ruins, the horseman let his arrow fly. It pierced the stag in the back of its head, causing it to stumble. Before it could even hit the ground, the apparition faded, collapsing into a rolling mist along the frost-covered grass. Teldryn, Aerk, and Nilandur circled to the side of the yard, their horses snorting and breathing heavily. They watched the spectral riders of the hunt one-by-one leap into the mouth of the cave from which they’d arisen, until the only one left was the headless horseman. He turned in their direction. 

“Good hunt,” came the echoing voice. 

“Good hunt!” Aerik called back with an amicable wave. And with that, the horseman turned and leapt into the hillside, the stones shifting and grinding behind him until no trace of the opening could be found.

Silence lingered in the air between the three of them as the sky steadily lightened, the soft trill of rock warblers ringing out from the hills.

“So,” Nilandur said after a long moment. “Breakfast then?” 

“That sounds great,” Aerik sighed. “I’m starving.” He looked over at Teldryn with a grin. “Did you have fun?” 

“Oh yes,” Teldryn drawled. “And I especially can’t wait to be unable to walk for several days.” 

“Come on, Tel,” Aerik goaded as they began their leisurely walk back to Whiterun. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much raunchyandpaunchy and FourCatProductions for giving this a quick beta!


End file.
